


Pocket Watches and Dragon Kings

by dazeful



Category: The Labyrinth - Fandom, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - No Quirks (My Hero Academia), Dragons, F/M, Kinda, Labyrinth - Freeform, M/M, Multi, Not Beta Read, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-27 03:44:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16694800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dazeful/pseuds/dazeful
Summary: Midoriya Izuku is tired of being treated like a child, but also hating the strain of adult responsibilities. When his temper finally explodes, the boy calls out to the Dragon King to take his little sister away. Now he will do anything to get her back.





	1. Overcast

The hawk flew by unnoticed in the faint light of the setting sun. Feathers blending in with the reds and pinks of the sky. Nothing saw the creature pass by, but the hawk saw all.

He landed on a branch. The tree creaked in the wind, forcing him to dig into the wood with his sharp talons. The wind danced through all the trees in the glade and ruffled the green hair of the boy below. The hawk studied him; watched him with far more intelligence than any normal hawk possessed.

The boy stood in the center of the glade. To any passerby, this boy would strike them as “odd”. Be it because of his fantasy attire or his rather unusual behavior. See most boys his age could be found partaking in sports, or even wooing a girl, but this young man was reciting a play, and getting quite into it.

He moved slowly from the edge of the trees towards a small puddle, formed by the perpetual rain that plagued this time of year. He was thinking hard, concentrating on each line of the play. Each step the boy took carried him closer to his goal. His hands painted pictures his words could not. A sudden gust of wind pushed him forward, making him teeter in his too large, red boots. Suddenly his eyes sparked and a sly grin graced his face.

“Give me the child,” Midoriya Izuku demanded, his words carried through the clearing by the ever growing wind. He paused for a moment and when he spoke again his words were louder.

“Give me the child!” Izuku brought his hand to his chest, grasping at the fabric that lay over his heart.

“Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way to the castle beyond the Dragon city, to take back the child you have stolen.” Izuku bared his teeth in a threatening way.

“For my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom as great...my kingdom as great,” he let out a frustrated groan.

Midoriya stared up at the bleak sky, a bright flash of lightning lit up the area.

“Ah heck, what was it again?” He fished through his coat pockets for the small faded book titled “The Labyrinth”, flipping through the pages when he found it.

“There it is…,” his voice dropped off and he cleared his throat, Izuku continued on, “You have no power over me.” As the words left his mouth the heavens opened up, almost as if the sky were waiting for him to finish.

Izuku shoved the book back into his pocket, saving the pages from being tarnished more than they already were. He stood, savouring the rain for a moment. In the distance an old church bell cut through the song of the storm. The sound of eight chimes made their way into his ears, signalling the hour.

Realization dawned on his face, “That was eight wasn’t it? God, Mom is going to be livid,” Izuku spoke to himself. He turned and sprinted off, disappearing in the heavy rain.

A faint screech of the lonely hawk came from somewhere southeast. The hawk had seen everything. Midoriya Izuku was long gone by the time the bird took off after him, not in any hurry to catch up to the boy. After all sunset was his hour.

Izuku ran through the neighborhood, old-fashioned houses looming over him from both sides of the road. He was silent, a storm brewing inside him, much like the one raging around him. He knew his mom and adoptive dad were going to lecture him as if he meant to disobey them. He contemplated even going home at all, but knowing nothing good would come from succumbing to his nerves- Izuku continued home.

\------------

Toshinori Yagi stood at the bottom of their long driveway, a flimsy umbrella the only thing shielding the thin man from the downpour. Through the deafening rain came his taut voice.

“You’re late.”  

\------------

Warm air struck Izuku’s face as he stepped through his front door. The house, on the outside, was picturesque. All of the houses in the neighborhood were quite old and had a quaint atmosphere about them. However, on the inside the house was sparsely furnished and the lack of personal touches gave off an unwelcoming vibe. The house may be pleasing to the eyes, but not to the heart.

Yagi led Midoriya to the crackling fireplace nestled in the corner, a woman was already seated there. Her short, green hair shone in the dim light of the room, pale skin glistened in the firelight. She beckoned him forth, towel in hand.

“Come on, I’ll dry you off.” Inko smiled.

Izuku took the towel from her, “I can do it myself, Mom.”

Her face fell, “I was just trying to help,” her voice trailed off.

Izuku dried himself off, waiting to be chewed out by one, if not both, of them. The fire gave off a substantial amount of heat, but he would much rather be in his room buried under a pile of blankets right now. At least in his bedroom he wouldn’t feel so vulnerable.

“My boy,” Yagi began. “Why were you so late?  Both of us were really worried.” Yagi put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, “If you had something you wanted to do you could have told one of us. Your mom and I would be overjoyed if you made plans with someone.”

Izuku’s temper rose, Yagi just had to point out how he had virtually no friends. His shyness and habit of muttering to himself made it hard for people to approach him, labeling him off as a nutcase. His weak demeanor even earned him the nickname “Deku” at school. So what if if he had no friends? Izuku vowed that he would never get attached to anyone again, it hurts too much when they leave.

Midoriya, whose mood was a sour as the weather, snapped, “You know what Toshinori? Maybe if you didn’t work so much we wouldn't have this problem. Maybe if you only asked me to watch the kid occasionally, I could have time to meet people instead of being trapped here.” This dry anger scared him, he rarely fought with Yagi, but when he did it involved tears and eventually hugging it out. “You're just as bad as him.” The words could barely be heard over the relentless storm raging on outside, but Yagi had heard everything. It was too late for Izuku to take back what he said, the damage was already done.  

The look on Yagi’s face was stern as he strode towards Izuku. Inkostood passively by, knowing it was best not to interfere with the two. A natural born leader who won't back down and a stubborn teenager who though he was in the right? Better to let these two idiots argue it out, Lord knows they won’t have a calm discussion about their feelings. She stood up and walked by them unfazed, muttering something about checking on Eri.

“Go to your room, we’ll talk about this when I’m back from work. End of discussion.” Not wanting to further spur the argument Yagi made his way to another room.

Izuku bit his lip, “Whatever you say  _ Dad _ .” Satisfied that he had gotten the last word, Izuku raced upstairs to his room, making sure to slam the door for emphasis.

Midoriya’s room was his safe haven. It was a perfect example of his personality, unique. The room itself was small and painted in strong crimsons, deep blues, and bright yellows. Most of it was taken up by books and pictures of his life throughout the years. Fairy lights were strung up in various places, giving the room a subtle glow. As in all of the bedrooms, a large window offered a full view of the backyard. The most unique thing about the room though, would have to be the shelf jam-packed with all kinds stuffed animals and nick nacks; everything from hero action figures, to an old, silver pocket watch inlaid with a tiny green stone. It was the last thing he had from his real father, the last remnant of his fading childhood.

Memories flashed through his head. The smell coffee brewing morning, trips into the city, bare feet, playing in the woods, scraped knees, pressed flowers, climbing trees, thunderstorms, sunlight streaming through curtains, soft sunshine. One memory in particular stood out in his mind. Izuku was laying in the backyard field of his old home, pressed against his father’s side. A woman’s silhouette could be seen in the window of his home, no doubt cooking some warm, delicious dinner. His father, Hisashi, pointed at some star light years away from them, showing him how it connected to other stars to form a constellation- Aquila he called it. Fireflies lazily danced around and gave the area a soft, green glow. Wind swayed the grass around them and a radio hummed in the distance. Hisashi told him of the eagle that carried lightning for a great god, the man’s quiet words lulled him to sleep, no matter how hard the boy tried to keep his eyes open. The two slept under the stars that night, completely at ease under the heavens.

That fragile peace the Midoriya family had was soon shattered. Hisashi left not long after, telling Izuku that he wanted to see the world and promised that one day he would return. Izuku hasn’t seen him since. His mother got remarried, and to a war hero Izuku idolized nonetheless.  They moved from Japan shortly after, to the country America that Yagi loved so much. Although he loved Toshinori like he was his real dad, Izuku still wondered if his father were still out there. As long as he was here, Hisashi still had a home to return to.

A knock on his door startled him out of his daze. “Izuku! We’re leaving now! Eri is already asleep in her crib, just check on her once and awhile please! I know you’re angry right now, but I want you to know that I love you!,” Inko’s muffled voice called from past his door. He waited a moment, listening to her walk away and eventually leave the house. All he could now is wait.

Izuku plopped down on his bed, burrowing under a mound of blankets. He reached for an action figure he kept on his bedside-desk, only to find that it wasn’t there. Had it fallen under his bed? Izuku checked, no Captain America lay in the dark void under the bed. Had he moved it somewhere? His eyes scoured his room, it wasn’t there and that meant only one thing. Some sneaky little fox had came into his room and taken it.

He threw off his covers and marched to his adopted sister’s room. Her room was dark, a night light offered him a little light to see. Eri was already up and staring at him, her eyes glinting in the dark. Her white hair was a mess, as always, and her princess nightgown was rumpled. It was obvious she had been playing instead of sleeping. In her small hands was  _ his  _ action figure! Her amber eyes challenged him as if to say,  _ What are you gonna do about it? _

Izuku sat down on the edge of her bed, “Come on, don’t you have enough toys to play with already?” He offered her a plush cat, she shook her head and pulled his toy closer to her.

“Mine!” She insisted.

He reached over and tugged at it, “No, that’s mine Eri.”

Her grip was relentless, so he pulled harder. Finally after an all out tug-of-war Izuku broke his toy from her grasp, stumbling back a bit. Then the flood broke loose.

Tears welled up in Eri’s eyes and a wail rose up in her throat.

The teen paled, “Ah! Come _ on,  _ you’re not even supposed to be awake!”

She continued to cry, knowing that eventually she’d get her way.

“How about we play tomorrow?” She didn’t stop, her bad mood resembling his. The young girl’s crying began to get on his nerves, “Don’t you know what happens to bad children Eri?” He paused, “The Dragon King will come and take them away! And all I have to do is say is a few words and he’ll get rid of you!” All of the sudden it was as if time had slowed down. In a faraway place countless creatures sat waiting, listening for Izuku’s every word.

_ The room was full of them, a giant heap of golden dragons. They clawed and snapped at each other urging everyone to fall silent. _

Izuku groaned when Eri didn’t give up. He threw back his head, “Please someone save me from this place. Take me away from here!”

_ “Did he say it?!” One of the beasts spoke, earning him a slap from the others. “Shut up and listen!” The nest of dragons stirred in anticipation, ready to depart at any moment. Some of them wore armour, others covered in nothing but thick scales. Some were missing various body parts, wounds showing just how deadly these creatures were. Some of them were still, others slinking around through the crowd. All of them were focused on the boy, giddy at the thought of action. _

Izuku paced around the room, “I’ll say it you know.” He plucked the book out of his pocket, staring at the faded cover. “Ah, but I mustn't,” he turned towards the window, watching the storm rage on outside. Whirling around he said, “But I could! I could say it. I wish… I wish…” Izuku trailed off.

_ “He is going to say it!” A murmur of excitement ran through the throne room where the small serpents gathered. They silenced themselves and listened keenly. _

Eri’s tear streaked face was flushed red. Izuku stalked towards her, raising his arms, putting on a show for an imagined audience. His voice rose above her cries,

“Dragon King!

Dragon King!

Wherever you may, be

Come and take this child of mine

Far away from me!”

A flash of lightning lit up the room.

_ A sigh sounded in the room. All sorts of reptilian creatures hung their heads, losing faith in the boy. _

_ “He didn’t say the right words,” One of them said. _

_ “It makes no sense! That doesn’t even start with ‘I wish’! Whispered another. _

_ A third dragon commanded silence and a hush blanketed the room once again. _

Izuku sat next to the girl brushing the hair out of her face, “Come on you little spitfire, as if I actually know the words to get a summon some King guy.” She batted his hands away and buried under her covers. “Although,” Izuku muttered, “Sometimes I wish I  _ did  _ know how to call him, I just want to be free.”

_ Heads snapped up at the words ‘I wish’. _

_ “He’s gonna say it! He’s gonna say it!” They roared. _

Eri’s crying had dissolved into soft whimpering, muffled by her heavy quilt. Izuku patted the mound of blankets and sighed. He stood and moved towards the door, pausing to glance back at the girl. He was closing the door when she picked up crying, louder now. Her throat was surely hoarse by now and if she knew what was good for her she would stop this temper tantrum, Izuku thought.

He scrunched up his nose. There was no way he would ever babysit her again, “All of this over one toy that doesn’t even belong to you, god Eri.” Izuku hugged his action figure to his chest. “I wish the Dragon king  _ would  _ come and take you away,” he slammed the door, “ _ right now! _ ”

_ You could have heard a drop of ink hit the floor. A shout suddenly splintered the silence.          “He said it!” _

_ In a flash, all the dragons had dispersed. Some flew out, others slithered. Not a one stayed behind. _

Thunder roared in the distance and on the other side of the door Eri let out a loud, piercing cry. A sense of dread settled over Izuku, a great feeling of anticipation for what was to come.

  
  



	2. Through the Window

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku enters the dragon kingdom, his journey just beginning.

The journey back to his room seemed longer than usual. He ran his hands along the wall, careful not to trip over any object that lay forgotten in the hallway floor. Izuku felt along the wall and grasped for the light switch, when he could not seem to find it he simply followed the thin beam of light that peeked out from under his door. 

His hand was on the doorknob when he sensed something was off. What was it? Izuku stood still, focused intently on his surroundings. In the dark, the sense of sight was rendered useless, but his hearing was heightened. He listened, his ears strained for any off sound, when he realized it wasn’t a noise he should be listening for, but rather the absence of noise. Eri had stopped crying. 

Should he be relieved or worried? It had been his goal for the past thirty minutes to get her to calm down, but now the sudden lack of noise unnerved him. She had finally shut up, so why was he still anxious? 

Hand still clenched around the action figure, Izuku made his way back towards his sister’s room. He opened the door slowly, the creak of its hinges cutting across the silence. Again he fumbled for the light switch, 

“Ah! There it is,” Izuku flipped the lights on.   
Nothing happened, “Really? A power outage, come onnnn,” He groaned. 

The boy fished through his many pockets, searching for his half-dead phone. Pulling it out, he turned on the flashlight. The beam pulled close objects out of the light, allowing him to easily find the bed. Something was wrong.

Instead of a sleeping Eri, a wriggling mass of something was convulsing under the quilt. Horrified, Izuku stood transfixed. Then, near the edge of the light, something moved. The boy couldn’t tell what it was, vibrant red and covered in scales, like a big, odd colored lizard. He recoiled and swung the beam across the room. Hundreds of pairs of yellow, snake-like eyes blinked against the sudden light. Izuku felt sick. 

He could sense them now. Felt their presence and could hear their shallow breathing all around the room. The room had also gotten warmer, as if someone had turned up the temperature several degrees. Izuku stepped back, the heel of his boot digging into something soft. Whatever it was let out a yelp and latched onto Izuku’s bare ankle, its claws, or were they teeth, sunk into his skin with a shluk and small puncture wounds oozed out dark red blood.

The boy bit his tongue to keep from crying out, an iron tang filled his mouth. His other foot kicked at the thing, trying to stop the sharp feeling of claws from digging any deeper into his tender flesh. Its talons pulled out of his skin and it skittered off into the dark somewhere. He had to be dreaming. It felt so real, but there was no way any of this could happen, right? 

There came a knocking on the large window at the end of the room. The sound of something sharp trailing down the glass. Something desperately tried to get in. The glass strained against the weight of the invisible intruder, cracks starting to form along the edges. Then, the heavy thuds against the window halted, a fire-y red substance seeped through the cracks and curled around the window’s lock; the tendril unlocked the window and then all hell broke loose.

A giant winged creature burst into the room, scales disappeared and bones cracked as the giant reptile changed into something more human. All of the creatures had retreated deeper into the darkness, so the only thing in the beam of light Izuku held was the form of a dragon becoming man. 

He looked almost human, but the red scales that remained gave away his otherworldly origin. Wild blonde hair going every which way, canine teeth sharper than any normal person’s. The man had a sturdy, warrior like build, long limbs and muscles rippling under his long scarlet cape. His eyes were striking, a wildfire set ablaze, powerful and dangerous. And they were focused on him.

A piercing gaze looked him up and down, “I expected a stronger human would have called me, not some scrawny child.” He said, even though he looked to be the same age as Izuku; his voice was low and rough, like the sound of gravel beneath your feet. 

Izuku was speechless, fear kept his voice locked tight in his throat. “Nothing to say? Not even a thank you?” The man paused, “I did what you wanted, you will fret over little Eri no longer.”

The teen paled, “W-what do you mean? Where is Eri? What did you do to her?!”

The Dragon King smiled. “You wanted her gone and I delivered.” He gestured to the window, and instead of the storm that had been there before there was a mountainous land. In the middle of the mountain was a maze, a labyrinth. It seemed as if it were carved out of the mountain itself, no clear end in sight. “Ya want her back? Go get her,” he challenged, “but be warned if you do not reach the girl in thirteen hours, she will become one of my own- a dragon. And you will belong to me.”

The boy was reminded of corn mazes in the fall, and he never was good at them. Always waiting for a parent or another kid to come along and rescue him. How would he ever make it through a maze that looked endless? And in only thirteen hours? 

“Please, King sir, can’t you just give her back? It would save me and you a lot of trouble!” Tears welled up in the desperate boy’s eyes. There was no way he could do this!

The other one laughed, “Pleading, that’s predictable. No, I’ve been bored for a long time and watching you struggle will be so entertaining!”

The dragon man grabbed Izuku by his shirt and pulled him through the window, a warm feeling enveloped him as he went through the window. Izuku crashed down the incline that lead into the dragon kingdom, rolling to a stop at the foot of the labyrinth. Not having any time to stand before being pulled to his feet by the strange king. 

“Remember my name as you navigate the labyrinth. I am the Dragon King, Bakugou Katsuki and you are the one who called me.” Bakugou let go of Izuku, who stumbled back a bit before he caught himself, “Check your pockets, by the way.” With that the explosive man was gone. 

Izuku ruffled through his pockets, desperate to find what had been left to him. He found it and pulled it out, it was the pocket watch! It had never worked, and that fact did not change even in this magical word. 

In the distance a roar sounded, another answered soon after. He was at the top of the mountain and couldn’t see past the tall walls of the labyrinth. Unlike it should be, it wasn’t cold this high up, in fact it was quite hot. Izuku could taste salt in the air, an ocean probably roared below him somewhere. His heart jumped in his chest every time some creature crawled, or flew, by. His senses were absolutely overwhelmed by this foreign world. 

Izuku knew he eventually had to enter the maze, time running against him. This was something he had to do, no one could help him now. He gathered up his courage and stepped forward. Eri would be home and safe before the time was up, Izuku vowed. 

The pocket watch started, the second hand began to tick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! Bakugou really is interested in the scrawny human that summoned him, but of course he'd never let it show.

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally going to be a Voltron fic, but I tried writing it using Izuku and I just couldn't stop...Thanks for reading and please, stay tuned for chapter two!


End file.
